Licorice-root-fiber board.



.; erar arns rib.

WILLIAM L. GEDDES, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANTA, ASSIGNOB T0 IVEAC" ANDREWS & FORBES COMPANY, OF CAMDEN, NEVJ JERSEY, A. COB BQBATIQN n13 NEW JERSEY.

LICORICE-ROOT-FIBEB BOARD.

No Drawing.

of artificial board or'box board, which has many industrial uses.

One of the objects of the invention is to produce a board from the fibrous residue of licoriceroot by a very simple process, which is of superior quality and of a durable and nearly uninflammable nature.

Another object of, the invention is to produce a board which will be of very uniform teXtUre and homogeneous in character.

A further object of the invention is to produce a board which can be very effectively waterproofed.

The invention resides in the application of pulp made from spent licorice root by a process to-be described hereinafter. and in. the products resulting from the application of the process. (Spent licorice root is the waste product from the manufacture of licorice extract.)

I have discovered that a pulp formed from spent licorice root has highly cohesive properties when formed into board, and that a board formed of this material is of superior quality.

In practising my invention 1 mix a caustic substance, such as caustic soda, with the. spent root for the purpose of removing the resinous and non-cellulose constituents and cleaning the fibers, and the resulting pulp is afterward washed to remove the alkaline solution carrying these constituents. The pulp is then passed in the usual manner through the beater and Jordan engine, and thence to the board machine, where it is formed into sheets. The sheets which come from the board machine are suitable for use in formingcontainers or as jacquard board, or for other purposes. In order to produce such boards as wall board and panel board I prefer to,,connect a plurality of superimposed sheets together by a suitable adhesive preferably silicate of soda. After applying the adhesive the sheets are pressed together and Specification of I ietters Patent.

Patented June as, was.

Application filed April 9, 1914. Serial No. 83?,739.

the-thickness of the board which is desired is determined by the number of sheets so connected together. The board resulting from this process is perfectly homogeneous as substantially all the constituents of the root have been removed except the cellulose.

For this reason the board absorbs sizing and other waterproofing materials easily. and with complete uniformity. For this and other reasons this board is far superior to boards having a heterogeneous character,

such as boards formed of ground wood.

straw, waste papers, or other materials which have a variety of difierent chemical constituents. This board is also nearly fireproof for the reason that it is nearly devoid of the inflammable resinous matters such as are contained in board made from ground wood. In making wall board from the sheets of this spent licorice root pulp a fireproof cement may be used to connect the sheets together. The treatment of the fiber with the caustic substance renders it absolutely sterile, and on this account no bacterial or mold growth will take place and vermin will not be attracted to the board. Other boards,

such as are made from pulp composed of the 30 mixture of newspapers, rags, etc., are favors," able media for bacterial culture, ,(mol'd growth, or for attack by vermin/ Boards made from ground wood are even more susceptible to vermin attack than the original 35 wood from which they were made. The board made from spent licorice root pulp fiber is difiicult to ignite and the flames tend to die out, simply leaving the cellulose smoldering. licorice root pulp is relatively stiff and has a relatively high tensile strength. It is also tough and relatively more durable than other artificial boards. It is also a better non-conductor of heatand is an efiective sound deadener, which is desirable when the board is used as a wall board. On account of its greater stiffness and hardness'a thin-. ner board of this kind can be used as compared with the ordinary news or chip 1 board to fillthe ordinary requirements for which so called box board can be used, thus effecting a marked economy to the consumer by reason of the greater sheet area tor a given weight of material; and if a quantity of spent licorice root pulp is mixed with A board formed from spent 90 I product are materially I "The process of forming artificiei board,

which consists in treating spent licorice root with e caustic substance to remove the resin 10 and othernon-cellulose constituents, washing the caustic substance from the pulp thereafter and forming the pulp into sheets.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of tWo subscribing wit messes.

- WILLIAM L. GEDDES.

Witnesses:

WV. E. RANSOM, FRANK J. MAGINNISS. 

